The Donut Man
by Nyhlus
Summary: Twilight is having problems studying. She decides a change of scenery is necessary and goes for a walk. On her midnight stroll she stops in at the only place that is open, the donut shop. There she meets her old friend Joe who is working the late night shift. She tries to catch up on her studying there, but to no avail. Before she knows it something completely unexpected happens.


Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony or any of its characters. They belong to their rightful owners.

Chapter 1

Twilight Sparkle walked down the road. She was a lanky dark skinned girl. Her face was perfectly symmetrical. Her black hair added to the symmetry, her bangs cut right above her eyes formed a perfect line, the sides of her face encased by the rest of her long hair. A single streak of purple hair on her left side was a feeble attempt to break this symmetry. An artificial attempt at an imperfection.

She wore a purple sweater vest over top a button up white shirt and wore black pants. These clothes were not the most formal but gave the level of sophistication that a private school uniform would provide. A sense of good standing counteracted by uppity. Her clothes were not a school uniform though. She was too old. She currently attended the Magic University of Canterlot, the most prestigious university in all of Equestria. It had always been a dream of hers to attend. She had always enjoyed studying but was for the first time in her life having to struggle to keep up in school.

In the beginning of her University life Twilight had tried to do everything, join every club and society she could. It was something she soon grew to regret as her responsibilities grew. Everything had become work, everyone started to depend on her. The stress was beginning to take its toll.

It was now midnight and Twilight had left her dorm in hopes of getting some studying done. The school had just been a constant source of distraction. She needed to find a change of scenery. As she walked down the street she did not know what would even be open at this time of night. It was probably wishful thinking. Eventually she'd have to turn back. As she walked down the street though, off in the distance there seemed to be a single source of light. One business had it's lights on. As she continued to walk she could feel rain drops begin to fall. She had nothing to protect herself from the rain. Quickly a decision needed to be made, run back to her dorm, or try to find shelter in whatever was open ahead of her. It took a lot of motivation on her part to get her out of the dorm to begin with. The last thing she wanted was to go back. So as the rain began to fall a little harder she picked up her pace and jogged over to the mystery business.

She found herself in front of the local donut shop. It was surprise she had not recognized it earlier. The shop was one she frequented quite regularly. Just the fact of it being night must have thrown her off. She'd never been to the donut shop at night, she was not even aware it was open this late.

Wanting to avoid the rain she entered. The place was empty with the exception of Joe, an employee. Joe was a couple years older than Twilight, he'd gone to school with her older brother. He was tall and pale with messy light brown hair. He was very friendly whenever he served Twilight. They were even on a first name basis. "Twilight Sparkle, surprised to see you here this late." Joe greeted her with his grainy voice.

"Hi, Joe." Twilight said back. She walked up to the counter where Joe was standing. "I was hoping to get some late night studying done. To be honest I did not even know this place was open so late. It is open right?"

"Yup, we're open for a couple more hours. We cater to those who have to work late night shifts. Though it is pretty dead right now. What can I get you?" Joe asked.

Twilight scratched the back of her neck. She did not have very much change on her. "A small hot chocolate I guess." She said with a shrug. Joe smiled as he turned around and prepared her beverage. Twilight struggled to rummage through her pockets to scrounge enough change. She dropped every coin she had onto the counter as Joe turned back around to hand her the hot chocolate. "That should be enough. Sorry about all the change." Twilight stuttered out embarrassed. Joe shrugged as he began to count the coins on the counter.

"You're good." He spoke calmly. Twilight let out a sigh of relief as she left the counter and looked for a table to sit at. It was a weird feeling, getting to choose where she sat. This place was usually so busy and crowded that you just took whatever seat you could find. She sat down at the table with her back to the window. She grabbed a couple books from her bag and began to read.

Even here she was having trouble concentrating. Her mind kept getting filled up with worries and anxieties about all the tasks she was expected to perform. Trying to figure out how she was going to manage her time, thoughts of not studying hard enough, she felt like she was going crazy. Before she knew it a plate with a donut was placed right next to her. She looked up to see Joe standing over top of her.

"You seemed to be working hard, I figured you could probably use some energy. Don't worry, it's on the house." Joe explained with a smile.

"Thanks Joe." Twilight said smiling back. She closed her book, then reached over and took a bite of the donut.

Joe walked over and took a vacant seat across from her. "So, are you still in contact with your friends back in Ponyville?"

Twilight nodded, "Yup, or at least I try to be." Twilight could not even remember the last time she even thought about her friends back in Ponyville. All the pressure and anxiety of University had really taken over her thoughts the past few weeks. "It's tough because I am so busy. Rarity and I try to visit them whenever we can, but its becoming less and less frequent."

"I understand. It's tough living in separate places. But at least Ponyville isn't that far." Joe then slowly stood up from his seat as he stared beyond Twilight out the window. "What the-" The glass of the window shattered, Twilight let out a cry as she jumped to the ground trying to shield her head from falling glass. Joe jumped forward to try and cover Twilight. She hit the ground hard followed by Joe falling on top of her. He held onto her tightly as all the glass fell onto the ground. "Twilight are you okay?" He asked frantically.

"What, what happened?" Twilight asked in a daze of confusion.

Joe looked up and around at all the carnage. "I think someone just threw a brick through the window." A canister was lobbed right next to Joe and Twilight. The canister opened up and a thick cloud of gas began to form around the two. They both began to cough heavily before blacking out.

When Twilight came to, all she could see is darkness. She felt her stomach pressed against by rope. She was tied to a chair. Her arms were also tied. Still not fully conscious yet she began to understand that the darkness was caused by a blindfold. There was this immense level of fear rushing through her body. She tried to remember her last moments before blacking out but it was mostly a blur. She remembered the crash of the window breaking, covering herself, and being protected by Joe. "Joe!" Twilight called out the second the name entered her brain.

"I'm right behind you Twilight." Joe's scruffy voice replied. Twilight felt a massive amount of relief to know she was not alone. "We're tied up together, the back of our chairs are up against each other." Joe explained calmly. The calmness in his voice surprised Twilight. He did not sound like he was worried at all. Maybe he knew what was going on, like it was someones idea of a really sick joke.

"Joe, I'm scarred. What is going on?" Twilight blurted out.

"I'm not sure." Joe admitted. "I'm blindfolded, what I can tell though is that we're alone in a decently large room, tied up together. Now Twilight I need you to focus for me. Can you do that?"

Twilight's head was still throbbing. It was hard for her to even sit up straight. She knew Joe must be feeling the same but he seemed so much more in control. "I guess," Was the best answer she could give.

"Right, listen, I'm the target here. They attacked the donut shop specifically to get at me. You just happened to be there. They don't know who you are or what you're capable of. This means they did not compensate for your magic. We need to use that to our advantage and get us out of here. Now in my left back pocket is a laser disguised as a pen." Joe slowly explained.

"Wait, what?" Twilight questioned, totally confused and having trouble understanding both what Joe was saying and how confident he was saying it. "Did you just say you have a mini laser disguised as a pen in your pocket?"

"My left back pocket. Twilight, there will be time for questions later. Right now I need you to focus and do exactly what I say in order for us to get out of here." Joe said.

"Joe I'm so confused right now. My head hurts," Twilight admitted.

"Twilight, enough." Joe declared speaking in a very stern voice. The intensity shocked Twilight. "This is not going to be easy. You need to shake it off. I know it's not easy, but it's the only way. I need to have your complete attention."

"Okay, okay, I can do this." Twilight muttered shaking her head.

Joe slowly started to clap his hands. "You're going to need to use your telekinesis and lift the laser. Then your going to follow the sound of my clapping. I can feel three loops of rope tying my forearms together. You're going to have to cut those loops of rope and then I can use my hands. All you will have to guide the laser is my clapping and directions."

Twilight closed her eyes. She took deep breaths. An aurora began to glow around her as she began to tap into her magic abilities. Using her powers almost as a third hand, she felt around the backside of Joe until she found the pen laser. She lifted it up and moved it over to where she heard Joe's clapping. Using her powers she was feel around his hands and forearms. She could feel the three loops Joe had mentioned. Now came the difficult part, she needed to align the laser with the rope completely blind. It needed to be exact or else she'd send the laser right into Joe. She took her careful time trying to line it up perfectly. She double checked and kept feeling around to try and get it exact. Yet when she was ready to fire she still could not be certain. Her breathing increased, her real hands began to shake as she hesitated. Fears began to fill her head, getting muddled about not being perfect.

Quickly Joe realized she was hesitating and called out, "Fire!". On pure reflect Twilight fired the laser. A snapping sound echoed through the room. "Excellent, that's one rope down. That one was the furthest up my arm. The other two are directly below. You got this."

A sense of accomplishment and confidence began to build up within Twilight. She did not get ahead of herself though. She lined up the second one just as carefully but did not hesitate to fire the laser. A second snap. The third one was the same thing, she lined it up and fired. A third snap. She could feel with her magic Joe freely moving his arms, giving them a good shake. He reached up and took off his blindfold then reached over and took Twilight's blindfold off.

It took a second for her eyes to adjust to limited light that was present in the room. She looked around as Joe snagged the laser and began to free himself fully. The room was a large storage facility. The walls were metal siding, and the roof was rather high. It was probably around twenty by twenty meters. They were tied up in the very middle of the room. The rest of the place was completely empty except for a few random boxes around the sides. There were no windows but two big closed doors on one side.

Joe had finished freeing himself. He stood up and quickly turned to Twilight. Slowly and carefully he began to cut each of the rope binding her. With the final snap Twilight jumped out of the chair and into the arms of Joe. It was just something that happened. It made her feel safe. "Thank you." She murmured.

"I should be the one thanking you." Joe said with a smirk before they broke their embrace. "But we're not out of here yet. Stay here." He then crouched down and sneaked over towards the double doors on the one side of the room. When he got close Joe quietly jumped down onto the ground. He peered through the bottom sliver of the door. After a few seconds he jumped back up and walked over to Twilight. "There are two guards out there. I want you to go and lean against the wall directly next to the doors."

Without any arguing or questions Twilight just nodded and walked over to the wall with the doors. She did not want to say anything because she was afraid, but more importantly she trusted Joe, whatever he was thinking. Joe grabbed one of the chairs and proceeded to walk to the other side of the doors. He looked over at Twilight and gave her a quick nod. She nodded back.

Joe threw the chair as hard as he could against one of the walls. It hit the metal siding and let off a loud banging noise. In about two seconds the double doors burst open and the guards entered. The door on Twilight's side swung open right in front of her, actually concealing her from the rest of the room, which must have been Joe's plan. The two guards ran into the room and was quickly shocked and confused by the now empty chairs. In their moment of confusion Joe sneaked up from behind. He grabbed the first one's arm. He twisted the guy's arm, who let out this shriek. Joe pulled the guy's arm down over his shoulder flipping the guy onto the ground. Joe shifted then to the next guard. He took a quick running step before jumping into the air and kneeing the second guard right in the chest. As that guard hit the ground, Joe swung around and kicked the first guard right in the face as the guard tried to get back up. Joe then turned and dropped an elbow right onto the second guards neck.

Both guards were lying on the ground completely incapacitated. Twilight came out of her hiding spot and ran up to Joe. "That was amazing. How did you learn to fight like that?"

Joe grabbed Twilight's arm and began to run pulling her out of the building. "There are bound to be more, questions later. Let's get out of here." Outside the doors was a grassy field. It was still night time outside. They were a ways from Canterlot. There was a brisk breeze that told them they were by the sea. They ran through the forest keeping low. They'd stop every few hundred meters to make sure there were no guards around.

Soon they came to the top of a hill. On the other side was a beach. They took cover behind a rock as they peered down. Below them by about fifty metres where a gang of people. They were standing right by the seashore. In the water across from them was a small boat. They appeared to be unloading large packages off the boat and onto the beach.

"What's going on down there?" Twilight whispered.

"I don't know." Joe replied. All the guards were hard to make out as their face was covered except for the one in charge. He had a large flamboyant moustache and a red bandana around his neck. "Gustave Le Grand." Joe said under his breath.

Twilight turned and looked at Joe. "You mean the pastry chef?"

"The whole pastry chef act is a front. Gustave Le Grand is one of the most powerful criminals in all of Canterlot. He's got his hands in just about everything. He must be the one who kidnapped us. Come on, we need to get out of here." Joe explained. He then grabbed Twilight's arm and pulled her away from the rock.

They continued to run for most of the night. They would pause ever so often but it was almost continuous travel. By dawn they had finally reached the outskirts of Canterlot. Both of them were exhausted. They took the time to relax by a large tree. There was little talk between the two during their travels. Instead they mostly remained silent. Twilight dropped down right up to the tree. Joe remained standing. "So, tired, could sleep for days." Twilight muttered to herself.

"I'm a spy." Joe stated. Twilight looked at him in confusion. "I'm an agent of the Princess's Secret Service. There is reason to believe Le Grand is planning something that endangers all of Canterlot. I am tasked with finding out what and to stop him if I can. Spent the last six months at the donut shop as a cover to get close to Le Grand's pastry business to try and discover what he has been planning."

"You, Donut Joe, are a secret agent? Normally I'd think you were crazy if that did not make the most sense of what just happened." Twilight said shaking her head. "Was getting kidnapped all part of your cover?"

"That should not have happened. Somehow they must have figured out my identity. Le Grand must be preparing something big enough to want me off the table." Joe guessed.

"What happens now? I mean he knows who you are? He could do this again. Do you go into hiding?" Twilight asked.

"No, he won't try anything like this again. This was his one opportunity to catch me when I was unaware my cover had been blown. Now the tables have turned, because now I know that he knows who I am. That just means a different approach is necessary. What I am afraid is for your safety. We were blacked out so it's hard to tell whether he even got a good look at you or we were only dealt with by henchmen. Either way, you may still be in danger. I want you to visit the donut shop everyday for the next little bit as I figure out what he's up to and what he knows. Just to check in and make sure your okay alright?" Twilight nodded as Joe walked over and placed his hand on Twilight's shoulder. "And hey, you did fantastic back there."

"So, do you have spy name?" Twilight asked with a smile.

"Mane, Con Mane."

_Afterword:_

_I think that story basically speaks for itself. The idea of Joe as a secret agent came from the episode: MMMystery on the Friendship Express. I hope the sudden change when they get kidnapped caught at least some of you by surprise. I had a lot of fun writing it. I will hopefully write more, it will be tougher though as I need to come up with what exactly Le Grand is doing. Anyway let me know what you think, leave a review._


End file.
